It is night, and a thunderstorm is lighting up Derek's room. He is
sleeping (in striped PJs, by the way) and is dreaming. He is seeing
images of a man underwater calling to him saying "It's coming,
Derek". He is awakened by the sound of the telephone ringing, and
when he answers it, the voice on the other end says Derek! You must
help me. You must watch out." Derek realizes that it is his old
friend Spencer Croft. The call cuts off, and Derek goes to his office
to try and call his friend back. He connects with his friend's wife
Serena, and she tells him that her husband was killed the day before.

San Francisco Legacy House - the next day

Over breakfast, Alex and Nick are discussing the events of the night
before. Alex is telling Nick that Croft was Derek's roommate at Oxford
and that William Sloan was the proctor just across the hall. Derek enters
the room and admits to not getting much sleep the night before. Nick
tells him that there is no record of Croft's telephone call either in
the telephone company's records or in their own house telephone records
(all in-coming and out-going telephone calls to the house are logged).
Nick suggests that Derek merely had a nightmare. Derek refuses to accept
that explanation and insists that Croft telephoned him.

Derek talks via video-phone to Sloan about Croft's death. Sloan tells
him that Croft was found fully clothed floating in the wading pool in
the garden behind his home. Derek is skeptical about a full grown man
drowning in a reflecting pond. Sloan tells him that he is going to the
memorial service in Montreal regardless of the bad history between him
and Croft.

Rachel arrives to give Derek her condolances. Derek tells her that
the last time he saw Croft was on a dig in the Middle East about eight
or nine years ago. Croft had brought Serena with him. He tells her that
they had made some important discoveries, and that Croft insisted on
publishing their findings while omitting Derek's name. Croft and Serena
were married soon after. He says that their friendship was never the
same after that.

Montreal - Spencer Croft's Memorial Service

Serena Croft is speaking at the memorial service. She tells them that
he loved teaching at the university in Montreal and says that his decision
to teach was one of the few things he never questioned (although he
questioned everything else). She begins to cry as the service ends.
Serena thanks Derek and Sloan for coming to the service (**continuity
alert** Notice the disappearing/reappearing wetness on the shoulders
of Derek's coat). Serena tells them that they have all made mistakes
and let too much time pass, and that Croft had believed that too. They
are interrupted by James Donlon, who is the associate professor of classics
at the university. He tells Serena that he will has the keys to Croft's
office and that he will help her clean out Croft's things. He also tells
her that he is happy to see how well she seems to be looking, and how
it is a shame that Croft didn't live to see her doing so well.

After he leaves, Serena tells Derek and Sloan that she despises Donlon
because he was always trying jockey for promotion and was always poking
his nose into Croft's affairs. Sloan offers to handle cleaning out Croft's
office, and Serena gratefully accepts. He tells her that he is in Montreal
overseeing some "re-structuring" (Hmmmm, something tells me
that it involves the Montreal House problems from "Ransom").
She asks them if they will be staying at the Legacy House in Montreal,
and both Sloan and Derek are surprised to learn that she knows about
the Legacy. She tells him that Croft believed strongly in their work,
and that sometimes she believed that Croft regretted not joining the
Legacy. Since Sloan is staying at the Montreal House, Serena offers
to let Derek stay at her home. He accepts and asks if he can take a
look at what Croft was working on at the time of his death.

Montreal - Croft's Office in his Home

Serena tells Derek that Croft's office was his inner sanctum, and that
he was always the happiest when he was working on some ancient puzzle.
Derek looks at Croft's notes and recognizes the language as a code that
he, Croft and Sloan invented in college. He tells her that it will take
a while, but that he thinks he can translate the notes. Derek and Serena
continue to reminesce about Croft and how absent-minded he was. She
tells Derek that Croft was a very proud man and that he regretted never
seeing him and Sloan.

Later, Derek has fallen asleep while working on the translation of
Croft's notes. In his dream, he once again sees Croft underwater calling
out ot him. He awakens and is sure that Croft is trying to tell him
somthing.

Montreal - the next day

Derek is on the telephone with Nick in San Francisco asking him to
look in his things for an old book from his college days that might
contain the key to Croft's secret code.

Later, Derek and Serena are walking in the garden. She tells him that
she was recently very ill, but that they doctors obviously mis-diagnosed
her since she is now fine. She shows him the reflecting pond, which
Croft had built immediately after he returned from his last trip to
Greece - he brought the materials with him from his trip. The pool is
rather small and triangular shaped with large stones anchoring the three
corners. Derek tells her that the large corner stones are lodestones
- a form of iron-oxide used in ancient times for their magnetic properties.
Derek notes that the pool is only a few feet deep, and reaches his hand
into the water. At that point, he has a vision of something reaching
up from the water to grab him. Shaking off the vision, Derek realizes
that Serena has nearly fainted, and is sitting weakly on the ground.

Montreal - Croft's office at the university

Sloan arrives and meets Croft's secretary Monica, who shows him into
Croft's office. Mr. Donlon is in the office going through Croft's papers.
( it's interesting that Donlon offers Sloan his hand and Sloan doesn't
shake it.) Sloan looks around and notices that Croft's desk is the one
that he and Derek gave Croft years ago to keep his papers organized.
Sloan continues to look around Croft's office, and notices that a lot
of his books relate to death. Donlon tells him that Croft was fixated
on the subject of necrology. Donlon tells Sloan that Serena had ALS
and that Croft's obsession began about the time that Serena was diagnosed
with the fatal disease. Donlon also tells Sloan that a few months ago
Serena was deathly ill, and the fact that now her husband is dead is
more than mere coincidence. Sloan asks Donlon why he is so interested
in Serena's health, but Donlon tells Sloan that he is merely curious.

Montreal - Croft's home

Serena gives Derek a package containing his college book that Nick
has sent him from San Francisco. He tells her that now he is sure he'll
be able to break Croft's code. Serena looks at the pond and sees it
bubbling up - she then has a vision of a figure rising up out of the
water. When Derek looks, the water is still.

That evening, Sloan and Derek are talking in his office, wondering
about Croft's secrecy. Sloan tells him that Donlon was checking out
Croft's desk, and Derek reminds him that Croft's desk had a hidden compartment.
Sloan asks Derek if he knews that Serena had ALS, and Derek is shocked
to think that Serena was seriously ill because she looks so radiant
now. Sloan gives Derek a warning about becoming involved with Serena,
and Derek assures him that they are just friends.

That night, Serena is dreaming about Croft carrying her out of the
reflecting pond. He tells her to trust him and that everything will
be all right and begins chanting in a foreign language. Serena sees
a form rise out of the pool and pull her husband back under the water.
Derek and Sloan hear Serena screaming from her nightmare, and rush to
comfort her.

Montreal - the next day

Sloan arrives at the university, and charms the secretary Monica into
letting him into Croft's office. In the office, Sloan looks in the hidden
compartment in Croft's desk and finds a paper with a drawing of the
reflecting pond drawn on it. Monica sees him take the drawing as he
is leaving, and mentions it to Donlon when he returns later. Donlon
is very upset by the news, but tries to cover up how important he thinks
it is.

Derek and Serena are overseeing the draining of the reflecting pond.
Derek is urging her to tell him what happened the night Croft died.
She is very vague and tells him that she was ill in bed when Croft drowned.
She tells him that that evening she had a dream that she was the one
who died - not Croft.

San Francisco Legacy House

Nick, Rachel and Alex are tele-conferencing with Sloan regarding the
reflecting pond. Nick tells Sloan that the measurements on the drawing
were measured in ancient units that are no longer used.. Alex tells
Sloan that the writing on the drawing is in an ancient Macedonian dialect
of Greek. She says that she believes that the writing refers to a secret
passageway or supernatural gate.

Sloan tells them that he doesn't believe that Croft drowned accidently.
They wonder if Croft's words "Watch out for Serena" mean to
"beware" or to "protect" her. Sloan pumps Rachel
for information on ALS, and asks her about whether it is reversal, which
she says is not possible.

Montreal - that evening

The pond refills itself with water.

Serena is sitting awake in her bed, and Derek checks on her to see
why she isn't asleep. He tries to turn off the lights, but she will
not let him saying that she is afraid of the dark. He asks her about
her disease, and she admits that she was diagnosed with ALS, but insists
that the doctors must have been wrong. Obviously upset, she lays down
and asks Derek to leave.

Outside, Donlon is checking out the reflecting pond. He ventures too
close, and a hand reaches out and pulls him in.

San Francisco Legacy House - the next morning

Once again in a teleconference, Nick and Alex tell Sloan that the pond
is an exact replica of a pool that Alexander built so that he could
escape death. Nick tells him that the lord of the underworld posted
a sentry at the 'gate' so that no one could return. Sloan tells them
that they did a great job, but Nick and Alex aren't quite sure if he
actually complimented them (apparently, Sloan doesn't hand out compliments
very often!).

Montreal - Croft's house

Derek tells Sloan that Croft's journal says that he knew Serena was
dying, and that he tried everything to save her. Sloan tells him that
the reflecting pond is actually a portal to the underworld. Serena finds
Donlon floating in the pond, and begins screaming. Sloan checks out
the pool while Derek comforts Serena (lucky woman!).

Sloan handles the police for Serena, and he and Derek try to figure
out what to do. That night (it's a full moon), Serena looks out of her
window to see the 'sentry' calling her back to the reflecting pool.
She slowly walks down to the pond.

Derek finishes translating Croft's journal which says that he indeed
planned to bring Serena back from the dead. Sloan calls it a "fool's
errand", but Derek considers it 'noble'. Croft's journal begs the
reader to destroy the reflecting pond by removing any one of the corner
stones.

Outside in the rain, Serena is drawn to the pool. Derek and Sloan see
the sentry trying to pull her into the pool, but Sloan pulls Serena
back and Derek is pulled in instead. Derek battles the sentry while
Sloan tries to remove one of the corner stones. Apparently, the sentry
doesn't care who he takes as long as he takes somebody, and pulls Derek
under the water. Derek frees himself, and climbs out of the pool just
as Sloan removes the corner stone - closing the portal.

Later that night, Serena is finally able to turn off the lights and
get some rest. She realizes that Croft is dead because he saved her.

Epilogue

Derek is writing in his journal.

"When we lose a friend, we lose more than
that. We lose a part of ourselves - a part of our own past. But sometimes,
we also find something new. A deeper appreciation of the friends that
remain - and of the bonds that only time can forge. I record this entry
in the secret code I once devised with two of my most trusted friends
- Spencer Croft and William Sloan." - quoted
directly from the episode, copyright MGM/UA.